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Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Teams with ExxonMobil to Develop Compact Gasification Technology

Written by thomas · Filed Under Aeronautics News 

October 3, 2008

thomas

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ — Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is
working with ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company (EMRE) to develop
affordable, efficient and innovative compact gasification technology to
help lower energy costs, provide a cleaner alternative fuel source, and
strengthen the nation’s energy security. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a
United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company.

“This unique collaboration will help expand our business to make clean
gasification technology more available, affordable, reliable and
efficient,” said Jim Maser, president, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. “While
EMRE brings its extensive expertise in energy process development and
engineering, we bring decades of experience in high-temperature reactions
and hardware development.”

Gasification is a process that converts carbon-containing material such
as coal or biomass into synthesis gas (syngas). Syngas can be burned to
produce electricity or further processed to manufacture chemicals,
fertilizers, liquid fuels, substitute natural gas or hydrogen.

The Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne gasifier is about one-tenth the size of
competing systems, and offers the potential to be more efficient, reliable
and affordable. It is also expected to reduce the cost of carbon dioxide
capture and sequestration. ExxonMobil is sharing development cost and
collaborating with Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne to develop, demonstrate and
license the technology.

“The technology developed through this teaming arrangement is expected
to significantly reduce capital and operating costs of gasification plants
and enhance commercial development of more compact gasification systems,”
said Jim Hartung, Energy Systems director, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne initiated development of this technology
under a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy, based on
more than 50 years of rocket engine experience and early proof of concept
tests performed in the late 1970s.

Under the new joint development agreement, EMRE and Pratt & Whitney
Rocketdyne will work together to complete technology development and
demonstration. This includes pilot plant activities at the Gas Technology
Institute in Des Plaines, Ill., and feed system and dry solids pump tests
at the Energy and Environmental Research Center in Grand Forks, N.D. Pratt
& Whitney Rocketdyne and EMRE will also collaborate on licensing the
technology to third parties.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc., a part of Pratt & Whitney, is a
preferred provider of high-value propulsion, power, energy and innovative
system solutions used in a wide variety of government and commercial
applications, including the main engines for the space shuttle, Atlas and
Delta launch vehicles, missile defense systems and advanced hypersonic
engines.

Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and
service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas
turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified
company providing high technology products and services to the global
aerospace and building industries.

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